by J. B. Tilton email: G
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.
(Authors note: This story takes place between the episodes "Muse To My Ears" and "A Paige From The Past".
Please note: This story was actually written before episode 5-17 "Lucky Charmed". However, since I am loathe to get rid of any story I write I've decided to go ahead and post it. I hope you enjoy it.)
The discovery of a small chest of ancient gold coins in the cellar causes unforeseen problems for the Charmed Ones. And has Piper and Phoebe reliving a portion of their lives they'd rather forget.
ONE
Cole and Phoebe were enjoying a leisurely evening at the manor. The muses were all returned to their proper places and the warlock was no longer a threat to anyone. It had been a grueling encounter and they were glad for the respite.
Leo and Piper were spending the evening out. It had been a while since they had been able to get away, just the two of them. Phoebe was glad they were able to finally enjoy some "down time".
Paige seemed to be on some sort of kick. She had discovered how disorganized the cellar was. For some strange reason, she had insisted on organizing it. She was down there right now moving things about.
"You think she'll do any good?" Cole asked Phoebe.
"Probably not," said Phoebe. "We don't go down there much. Especially after our little encounter with the Woogie. Besides, there isn't much down there that we really use, anyway. I don't think we've really spent much time down there since grams died."
"Well, maybe it could use a good cleaning," said Cole, smiling at her.
"Probably," said Phoebe. "I just don't know why Paige suddenly got on a kick to clean it. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was under a spell."
"Oh, right," said Cole. "Some warlock or demon decides that the best way to destroy the Charmed Ones is to have them clean their house. Gee, that is so simple. Good thing I didn't think of it when I was still Belthazor."
"You," said Phoebe, punching him in the arm.
Cole just laughed.
Just then Paige came up from the cellar covered in dirt. She walked toward the stairs heading for her room and a shower.
"Hey, sweetie," yelled Phoebe, "making any headway?"
"Some," said Paige. "Thought I'd take a break and make a couple of phone calls. I have that case I was telling you about that I'd like to see if we can get resolved."
"Oh, right," said Phoebe. "I had forgotten about that."
"What case?" asked Cole.
"A young girl whose mother died," said Paige, stopping at the entrance to the living room for a moment. "The girl is about five and her mother was unmarried. She became a ward of the state and was about to be put up for adoption when a woman came in claiming to be her grandmother. On her fathers side. Said she wanted to take the little girl."
"So what's the problem?" asked Cole. "Seems pretty straight forward to me. Better the girl go live with relatives than strangers."
"That's just it," said Paige. "There's nothing to prove the woman is the girls grandmother. She doesn't have a birth certificate and the records hall where the records were kept burned down about three years ago. The hospital has misplaced her records and there's no way to prove who her father was."
"I still don't see a problem," said Cole.
"Judge Harrison Carter," said Paige, exasperatedly.
"By the book Carter?" asked Cole. "Oh, I see what you mean."
"What?" asked Phoebe. "I don't understand."
"Judge Carter goes strictly by the book," explained Paige. "Right down to the letter of the law. He's not very flexible in most cases. And he's been assigned the little girl's case."
"The problem is," continued Cole, "is that the law says that any blood relatives have to provide certified documentation of their relationship. Which means a birth certificate or sworn affidavit from a parent or something like that."
"Right," said Paige. "As far as anyone can tell, this woman is the girl's only living relative. And her mother never told any of her friends around here who the father was. We were hoping it would be on the birth certificate. That would mean the woman is the girls grandmother and Judge Carter can grant her custody. If not, he won't. So I'm making some calls seeing if I can track down anyone who knew the girl or her mother or anything that might establish who the father was."
"Good luck." said Phoebe.
"Thanks," said Paige. "Now, I think I need a shower. I'll get back to the cellar this afternoon."
"No rush, honey," said Phoebe. "It's not going anywhere."
Paige just smiled then went up to take a shower. Cole and Phoebe settled back onto the couch to enjoy a lazy afternoon.